6 The Dallas Post
EDITORIAL
Friday, September 19, 2003
OUR OPINION
Grateful donors are
key building block
for Back Mountain
A commemoration ceremony at Shavertown United
Methodist Church reminds us that a strong community is
composed of many different and distinct parts.
The congregation — and anyone who would like to attend
— will be treated to a performance by Rev. William Summer-
hill as he portrays Theron Ferguson, who operated a butcher
shop a century ago and donated the land on which the church
now sits. Such benevolence was not only welcome, but often
necessary at that time, since wealth was spread less evenly in
the population and institutions were still in their formative
stages.
We are fortunate that prosperous Americans continue to
share their good fortune with the communities and nation
that have provided them the opportunity to build wealth. The
Back Mountain Memorial Library, the soon-to-be regional
recreation center and every one of the region’s churches have
benefitted from the philanthropy of neighbors who have done
well and wish to do good.
A consistently rising standard of living, expansion of gov-
ernment services and the financial strength of public and pri-
vate institutions has helped to relieve many of the burdens in-
dividuals and organizations face in today’s America. But we
still rely on generous people like Theron Ferguson to help
smooth the rough edges of society.
Perfection exists only in
bureaucrats’ minds, if there
Test scores have been consistently positive for students in
the Dallas School District. That’s the good news. The other
side of the story'is that no matter how hard teachers, students
and administrators try, the district’s schools cannot satisfy the
requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act.
Why? Simply because perfection is not a human trait, and the
act requires nothing less by 2014. That’s a long time, you
might say, and there’s a reason; by then, the architects of this
ridiculous mandate will be long since out of office and collect-
ing hefty speaking fees on the lecture circuit.
Aside from a requirement that 100 percent — 99.9 isn’t
good enough — of students perform at “proficient or ad-
vanced” levels in math and reading, NCLB demands that at-
tendance levels be above 95 percent and never decline. Hello!
If they're 95 percent now and can only go up, they too will
have to be 100 percent by 2014. There goes your winter vaca-
tion.
Anyone with the mental aptitude of a “proficient” fifth grad-
er recognizes that this act is not just about better perform-
ance, it’s a free pass to vouchers. Well, it’s not free, because
you and I will be paying for them in our school taxes, whether
our kids benefit or not.
But not to worry. The NCLB will go the way of other ideo-
logical mandates when a new administration takes over in
Washington. The only question is when that will be.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
The first edition of what will undoubtedly become an annual
event illustrated the best qualities of the Back Mountain. Not
only was the turnout for the first Dallas Harvest Festival stu-
pendous, visitors were exposed to the impressive variety of
products, services, organizations and talents
that combine to make this a desirable com-
munity in which to live and work. Commer-
cial exhibitors ranged from long-standing
produce farms like Brace’s and Darling's to
Cathy Blum’s hand-crafted breads. Organiza-
tions covered the gamut of interests from 4-
H — with Kurt and Sylvia Mass staffing the
table and dishing out the burgers — to the
Back Mountain Trail group’s display set up
on the porch of Alan Boonin’s magnificent restored Victorian.
As for talent, well it bridged any generation gap with perform-
ances by tiny dancers, the “Sister Act” singers and others in be-
tween.
Best of all, the crowd was filled with neighbors mingling
and chatting, in the process universally praising the event.
Among the comments were some like this: “I didn’t have to
take the kids to the mall or the arena to have a good time.”
Some festival organizers stopped to shake hands with Mark
Albrecht, who in his day job helped lobby for coverage on
WBRE-TV, where he is a cameraman.
Spotted among the enthusiastic visitors were Jeff Box, the
former Kingston Township Manager, and Shirley Moyer, a su-
pervisor who once suggested a similar event be held at Center
Street Park. How about this idea — do it in the spring and
hold it on Shavertown’s old Main Street. Combined with the
family festival sponsored by the Back Mountain Business and
Professional Association, we could bookend the best seasons
and keep the spotlight on the full range of Back Mountain
amenities.
Noticeably absent were candidates for county political of-
fice, which seemed odd given that an election is looming in a
little over a month. Do they think we don’t matter, or does our
reputation as a reliable Republican voting bloc lead them to
take us for granted? It would have been nice to see at least
Greg Skrepenak, who lives a few blocks from Main Street, out
shaking hands. Unless I missed him, although that’s unlikely,
since he’s so easy to spot!
RON
BARTIZEK
Tre DALLAS POST
TIMESeLEADER C unity Newspaper Group
P.O. BOX 366, DALLA 18612 * 570-675-5211
dallaspost@leader.net
Ronald Bartizek
EDITOR/GENERAL MANAGER
Justin J Snosky Erin Youngman
ADVERTISING ACCT. EXEC. REPORTER
Darlene E. Sorber Greg Stauffer
OFFICE MANAGER AD PRODUCTION MANAGER
A good walk, not spoiled, at Irem Temple Country Club. Photo by Jim Phillips.
Land Trust
nature walk,
bake sale, rafile
at Hillside Farms
ap The North Branch Land
Trust (NBLT) invites members
and the public to a nature
walk, raffle drawing and bake
sale on Saturday, September
27 at Hillside Farms in
Trucksville.
Naturalist Rick Koval, a new
staff member of NBLT, will
lead the walk as part of an af-
ternoon of activities that in-
clude a bake sale and raffle.
“Rick has the ability to re-
veal the world of nature in the
most amazing way,” said Will
Conyngham, of Hillside Farms.
“Any walk with him is totally
enlightening.”
This is a peak time of year
for a number of migratory
birds that frequent the area
and that participants are e
couraged to bring binocul
for bird watching.
The bake sale will be held
outside of the Dairy Store in
the greenhouse parking area,
starting at 10 a.m.
The raffle drawing will occur
at 12 noon. Tickets can be pur-
chased until noon.
The Nature Walk will begin
at the Hillside Diary Green-
house at 1 p.m. and will wind
along a creek that ambles
through the farm property.
The Percheron draft horse
wagon rides will run 12 noon
until 4 p.m. and will cover
points of interest and the natu-
ral scenic beauty of the Hill-
side Farms property. Seating is
limited. Tickets are available at
the dairy story.
Raffle tickets are available at
Hillside Dairy Store; at the
Plains Animal Hospital, 242 S.
River Street, Plains; and by
calling Donna Schuler, 639-
1447; Sarah Carr, 836-0889;
and the North Branch Lan
Trust, 696-5545.
Will the small ‘urban’ business district fit here?
By HOWARD J. GROSSMA N
AICP
Northeastern Pennsylvania is replete
cially in the many boroughs that dot the re-
gional landscape. The prime example may
be Luzerne Borough where special activi-
ties and leadership resulted in the revital-
ization of that downtown area.
Others are in the Pocono Mountains in
Hawley and Stroudsburg. Stroudsburg is a
Main Street community, meaning that
Commonwealth funding has helped stimu-
late the way that municipal and business
leaders plot the rebirth of these urban dis-
tricts.
Examining the way business districts
can be shaped and organized for 21st cen-
tury life is an important action that may be
applicable to the small urban districts that
exist in the Back Mountain.
A clear direction for the future of these
geographic places is represented by Dallas
Borough, which serves as a center for com-
a IS re] “merce and is a central business district that
with small urban business districts; espe" "je ; |
as always been a gathering point for de-
velopment opportunities. Shavertown is
another commerce area that has a cluster
of businesses. Harveys Lake has long been
a place of business in light of the develop-
ment that continues to occur around the
largest natural lake in the region. All of
these examples call for the best ideas and
thoughts to be applied to enable commer-
cial development to continue through the
responsive activities of municipal and busi-
ness leaders. Whether or not in some of
these situations governmental funding can
be utilized, such as the Main Street pro-
gram, remains to be seen. Think of the op-
portunities that can accrue if a well-de-
signed plan and action program were to be
created and implemented, one that looks at
all of these sectors simultaneously and can
adjust to the residential development that
continues at a strong pace in the Back
Mountain.
Many of the older boroughs in the state
have required significant and sometimes
massive redevelopment programs, utilizing
a variety of state and sometimes federal as-
sistance monies. The federal community
development program is widely utilized in
Luzerne County, since this jurisdiction is
the only so-called urban county in the @)
gion and receives much more of this type
of funding than do others across the
Pocono-Northeast. Community develop-
ment is an important adjunct to the overall
means by which small communities can
improve their competitive posture and
See BUSINESS, pg 7
70 Years Ago - September 29, 1933
DALLAS HELD TO OBSERVE
NATIONAL RECOVERY ACT DAY
Indicating its whole-hearted approval of
the principles advocated by President Roo-
sevelt’s national recovery Act, Dallas and
vicinity joined with
Wyoming Valley in a
colorful parade which
symbolized the unity
of purpose behind the
movement. Many men
ONLY and women from the
YESTERDAY Back mountain region
were in the line of
marchwith different organizations.
Attendance records for the Bloomsburg
Fair were broken when the turnstiles
clicked 15,853 paid admissions. Thirty per-
cent of the patrons, were from Luzerne
county.
Some of the items you could get at
American Stores Co.: Asco coffee, 1b. 19¢;
cooked spinach, 2 big cans 25¢; peaches, 2
big cans 29¢; pickles, 2 gt. jars 29¢; lettuce,
head 10¢.
60 Years Ago - October 1, 1943
COL. NORMAN SMITH WILL HEAD
ATHLETICS IN PACIFICAREA
Chosen by officers of the Air Corps to su-
pervise the establishment of athletic pro-
grams at all of the major air bases in the
Pacific area, Lieut. Colonel Norman smith,
of Huntsville, left for Lexington, Va., after
spending a brief leave here.
William Baker resigned as Street Com-
misioner of Dallas Borough and Ralph Eip-
per, veteran employee of Oliver’s Garage
has been appointed to the vacancy.
Movies that played at the Shaver The-
atre: “China” with Alan Ladd and Loretta
Young; “Reveille With Beverly” with Ann
Miller, and Frank Sinatra; “Aerial Gunenr”
with Jimmie Lydon, and Chester Morris.
50 Years Ago - September 25, 1953
GEORGE TAYLOR RESIGNS
FROM LAKE-NOXEN
George El Taylors resignation as super-
vising principal of Lake Noxen Township
Schools was accepted at a special board
meeting. Robert Belles, principal, will take
over until definite replacement arrange-
ments can be made. Taylor will assume su-
pervision of South Middleton Schools in
Cumberland County.
Repatriated prisoners of war have been
insturcted not to give too much informa-
tion about conditions in Korean prison
camps, according to Sgt John Vavrek, De-
munds. Vavrek was wounded through the
chest, and was taken prisoner at Kunri.
Vavrek enlisted in the Army when he was
seventeen.
Forty seven children from other locali-
ties or schools have been enrolled at Dallas
Brough-Kingston Township schools, some
of the most distant newcomers children of
Air Force personnel stationed at Red Rock
and living in Meadowcrest.
40 Years Ago - September 26, 1963
BISHOP OF SCRANTON DEDICATES
NEW BUILDINGS A T MISERICORDIA
In solemn procession led by Bishop
Jerome D. Hannan, trustees, officers of ad-
ministration, president’s advisory council,
the building committee, notables and
guests, and Sisters of Mercy, visited the
two new buildings, Merrick Student Cen-
ter, and Alumnae Hall. Dedication ad-
ddresses were delivered by Rt. Monsignor
James T. Clarke and his excellency Bishop
Hannan.
Charlie Gosart’s Grocery Store in Dallas
will be under new management. William
Davis, Shavertown purchased the stock of
Gosart’s Grocery Store and will rent a por-
tion of the building
Sweet Valley telephones will change to
all-number dialing, said Commonwealth
Telephone Company The letters “GR” pre-
ceding the number become “47” which cor-
respond to them on the dial.
30 Years Ago - September 20, 1973
POST TO CARRY COLLEGE COURSE
Twenty of the academic world’s most dis-
tinguished scholars will be featured in
America and the Future of Man, the unique
Courses by Newspaper a program to be
printed by this newspaper over 20 weeks.
The Dallas post is one of 13 newspaers car-
rying the course statewide.
Harveys Lake Borough council chairman
William Hoblak read from a report that the
annual sewer rate for a borough home will
actually be $225 rather than the $178 that
the Harveys Lake Municipal Authority
(HLMA) has been projecting.
A vandal or vandals fired three shots at
the Daniel C. Roberts Fire company build-
ing, Harveys Lake. The bullet which did
the most damage entered through the door
of the garage and struck the front end of
the fire engine.
20 Years Ago - July 20, 1983
INMATES EARN ASSOCIATE DEGREE
Three inmates at the State Correctional
Institution at Dallas have received Associ-
ate Degrees from Luzerne County Commu-
nity College. Larry Stephenson, Clinton
Anderson and Mike Vaccarello recently
completed the necessary requirements of
the college and were awarded their degrees
of the college. Their achievement were
made possible through a program institut-
ed by the Pennsylvania Jaycees.
After 30 years as a mailman for Dallas
Postoffice, Andy Sokol will retire. He was
known as “Andy the mailman” to those he
delivered mail to.
Airman Joseph Tomaselli, Dallas, has
been assigned to Lowry Air Force Base,
Colo, after completing Air Force basic
training. Tomaselli is a 1982 graduate of
Lake-Lehman High School.
LP
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